Meant
by NickyRockit
Summary: How things would've been for Mike if he never left Deluxe, Will he succeed with his career as commander? And will he ever notice Kane's wrong motives towards Motorcity? While he might not currently be on Motorcity's side or part of the Burner's, there are others who are willing to do whatever it takes to defend it. There will be Jukebox.
1. A Special Day

Detroit Deluxe, the perfect society where everything was bright, clean, and painted in mandatory white and blue. It took most of Abraham Kane's life to get to where he currently was, successful. He had the perfect city, ruled by him, bringing the best in technology and medical services for his citizens. Anything he could ever wished for was at the tip of his fingertips, and whatever did not work out for Abraham Kane he would dispose of such unworthy discomfort whenever he wished to. People respected and admired him; a true leader to the Deluxian society, they would prefer to live clean, dress in a mandatory dress code that fashioned a capital K if it meant keeping them safe from the hell pit that was Motorcity…

Opposites; if you would call it that, unlike Deluxe; Motorcity was dark, filthy, un-sanitized, unsafe, polluted, unhealthy and most of all dangerous! Filled with criminals as Abraham Kane would always recall and remind it's citizens of the darkness that habited beneath the clean and perfect world that was all his. Filled with trash, unstable homes and buildings, fattening food that would probably make you sick just by smelling it, and cars… Something that Deluxe did not have was cars, Abraham Kane made sure to ban the transportation vehicles from his precious city; he had a troubled past with them, he lost someone very dear to him because of it, so instead he replaced the transportation system with a hovering safe pod, one that he could take full control of… He sold Motorcity as a sickening and death threatening place, and if any Deluxian should decide to venture down there he/she would automatically be punished, it was his way or no way at all… He didn't care for Motorcity, if anything he wished to remove it from his problems, to erase it from the phase of the earth, of course that was quite difficult since that would threaten his beloved city as well.

Of course that would be rhetorically speaking… What he really wanted was to get rid of those who opposed his choice of a better lifestyle and either lock them up or eliminate them at the spot. He didn't take rejection too well and there were people down in Motorcity who didn't appreciate his dictatorship as well… Groups and gangs of freedom fighters joined down in Motorcity to try and take Kane down, not just to defend Motorcity but to free Deluxe as well, because even though life might seem perfectly fine to them, it didn't seem right! No one should live under someone's command constantly, no one should live in fear of saying and doing the wrong thing, no one should hold anything in exchange of processed Kane Cubes as a food source, no one should have the need to hold anything back in exchange of a stable mandatory employment or a limited amount of space to live in. It was sickening compared to how motorcitizens lived, they were free to do and say whatever they pleased, they had the luxury of owning motorized vehicles and burn the rubber of their tires for fun as they made contact with the asphalt. They had different types of food sources, maybe not as healthy and nutritious as Deluxe's famous mandatory Kane Cubes, but freely enough to experiment with different tastes and textures… Where did they get the ingredients to create these amazing dishes was still a mystery, but they managed and enjoyed the lifestyle.

There were different gangs that fought for Motorcity, not all of them fought for the same purpose and some of them even fought among them. They marked their territories and tried their best to respect each other's position and purpose. But one of them in particular was of great interest to Kane, The Burners… Motorcity's major freedom fighters, and even though Kane knew that they had nothing compared to his level of expertise and weapons he still wanted to eliminate them. He marked them for life as Detroit Deluxe's most wanted criminals for various reasons… They brought hope to the people of Motorcity, hope that made people believe of a better tomorrow, of freedom to do whatever they pleased, to work together and plot against him and his attempts at taking over Motorcity. They've won a couple of battles and Kane seemed very surprised at how they've managed to out stand him, made a fool out of his technology and armada, and so he's dedicated himself into building a stronger army, stronger bots, stronger weapons to take over Motorcity and those filthy Burners. Because how dare them mock his leadership in front of his own people? After all he was just trying to help…

Today was special for Abraham Kane; he was up bright an early, beautiful mandatory day out as always… He's been trying to take his mind away from his troubled failures against Motorcity. He strutted thoughtfully along the corridors of Kane Co's Cadet Training Facility, examining his cadet's skills and moves as they trained. He watched as some of them wrestled each other, others ran for miles and miles in a white hovering treadmill; even though their lungs begged for a break they wouldn't stop; they couldn't stop, not now; they had to surpass Kane's expectations. A couple of them lifted weights and he watched in awe as their muscles contracted at the strength. Yes! stronger soldiers is what he desired, anything to bring down Motorcity and it's pesky Burners. He stopped at one training room in particular… A simulating room covered in clear glass for the public's viewing pleasure, not many got the skills or the privilege to know how to properly train in the simulator. He watched as the cadet inside jumped, dodged and shot back at it's holographic opponent with his laser rifle, he yelled in victory as he shot the hologram straight to it's heart and it disappears to bits. Kane couldn't help it, he smiled and clapped amazed by his physical and mental skills, of all his cadets _this_ boy was the one who exceeded in his training exercises, he could easily outrank himself if he would let him, but there were limits. He knew this boy's potential and what good it would bring to have him by his side, he just had that spark that he needed.

The cadet panted as he watched a replay of his moves, he carefully examined his previous exercise, his moves, his shots, his targets all of them flawless to himself, so much that his jaw dropped slightly in shock, his eyes widened at his virtual twin while he kicked "virtual butt" as he would always express.

"Well done Cadet Chilton!" Congratulated Kane with pride, his words causing the young boy to slightly jump and turn towards his superior in an instant.

"Mr. Kane!" He called and quickly saluted with a perfect posture. Sweat trickled down his cheek and neck, his brown hair completely matted in sweat, and he was nowhere decent to pass a personal uniform inspection since he was wearing his physical training one instead of his usual blue and white mandatory cadet one.

"At ease Cadet!" Responded Kane, his posture relaxing as he smiled proudly at Chilton; in a way letting him know that it was ok, that he wasn't there for other reasons other than to admire his talents. Mike's posture relaxed as well, a bit confused at why would Kane be in the training rooms at this time of day. "Those were some impressive moves son, you know… You always seem to amaze me every time I come across you…"

Mike smiled at his words; flattered at his kind praise, he'd always received great compliments from his fellow cadets and instructors, but hearing them come from Kane himself always made him feel like he'd already reached his highest goals, it felt like winning a marathon. He's always been the exemplary soldier, he's never gotten in trouble during his career in Kane Co, and he knew better from others; when he saw trouble within his own comrades he would never hesitate to take action, either letting his superiors know or taking action on his own by trying to fix the problem; he'd been rewarded with higher ranks because of his knowledge and skills, and Kane himself knew he was more than ready for a position in leadership, it was time to reward his precious trophy soldier once again, after all there was no denying it, he was his favorite of the bunch; a true defender, and yet his most priced weapon.

He placed a proud supporting hand on his shoulder making Chilton glance up at Kane, "Go hit the showers Cadet, that's enough training for you today, I expect to see you later at the award ceremony." He said, smiling warmly at him.

"Yes Sir!" Responded the Cadet as Kane took a step back and resumed his walk through the corridor.

Chilton smiled and sighed, carelessly throwing a sweat towel across his shoulder as he made his way towards the showers.

/

It wasn't very common of motorcitizens to huddle up together and watch Deluxe's big announcements, they just didn't had a choice. Kane was very determined to let everyone know; (motorcitizens included) of his great achievements, and bragging about the new changes and updates that were made to his perfect city. The Holo-TV's that existed down in Motorcity only transmitted Deluxe's mandatory programming, (Unless you were the Duke of Detroit of course who knew how to hack his way through the transmission signals to bring a bit of his joyful entertaining self to the Motorcity masses…) and while most might find it boring it was the only thing they had, they would choose to turn and watch whenever they pleased, but whenever there was a mandatory announcement it would automatically turn on and people had no other choice than to watch, since it sometimes meant trouble. Maybe Kane thought that motorcitizens would one day be amazed by his changes and that they would give in to his commands in exchange of what he had to offer.

"Sickening…" Expressed a dark skinned young man at the thought, he glanced back to his work station which was currently his car, he pulled back his protective mask that now covered his face as he airbrushed a coat of white paint at the side of his vehicle, covering a couple of scratches that sadly adorned the car.

"Tell me about it! I'm sick of getting forced to watch these stupid Kane announcements…" Added a muscle built boy dressed in a black race suit, accented with red flames as details, "Why can't Texas just shove Kane's messages up his ass? then he would be the one stuck with his own annoying messages!" He chuckled at his comment hysterically, "Get it? It's like he'll get clogged up or something!" he finished and looked at the rest of the present beings around him, but not much to his surprise he ended up receiving unimpressed glares from them.

"Right…" Commented a skinny shaggy blond boy who was currently ticking his fingers at a holographic screen in front of him, not really taking the time to personally look at Texas and show him his annoyed face expression for his less than logic comment. With a hand he brushed his golden locks out of his eyes as they focused more on the screen in front of him, with deep concentration he kept typing until another screen popped up and his eyes widened with pride, he let out a short victory chuckle before he expressed, "Aha! Got it!"

A hand was placed at the blonde's shoulders, squeezing softly with appreciation of his work, until the owner decided to take a seat next to him. "Good work Chuck! Now what are we expecting today?" Asked a feminine voice, the owner vaguely glanced at the countdown that was being showed at a Holo-Screen projecting from the Burner's garage's bar area, where an old skinny man mixed strange liquid contents in a blender. She glanced back at Chuck and smiled warmly yet worriedly at him…

"Well… It seems like it's a military award ceremony…" Answered Chuck, his invisible eyes still glued to the screen as he kept reading the few details from the hacked Kane Co file.

The girl, tanned skinned and tall with short brown hair; who looked like she was in her early 20's; making her the oldest of the young group quirked her eyebrows in confusion, she let out a sarcastic laugh, "A military award ceremony? Now why would Kane want to announce publicly who his new ass kissers are?"

"I don't know…" Shrugged Chuck confused at Kane's motives as well.

"If you ask me it's a pretty dumb idea!" Declared the young man who was working on his car's design, pushing his protective mask away from his face so he could clearly face the rest of the group. The girl nodded in agreement as she let a soft and sarcastic chuckle escape her lips.

"You got that right Dutch! It doesn't make sense… It's like he's letting us know who his priciest soldiers are, BOOM! Easy target for us." Chimed the girl as she held an imaginary gun and shot at nowhere in particular.

"Yeah well he thinks he's trying to scare us off or something, which is even dumber! Because HELLO! It's not like they have another Texas on their hands?! Because obviously they don't, otherwise Kane would've won by now, but he hasn't because he doesn't have me or a Texas clone!" The boy paused his less than obvious indirect self admiration rambling to make a couple of fighting poses as part of his act, swinging his fists in the air, making somersaults and kicking with all his might as he yelled with each punch and kick that he hit the air with! "KACHAW!" He landed next to the girl who was now rolling her eyes unimpressively at him.

The old skinny man walked towards the table where the group was now sitting at; and placed a tray that held 4 glasses filled with a green goo. "Seaweed smoothies" He announced with his scratchy voice, smiling proudly at the group for his newest creation.

"Ugh! Really Jacob? Seaweed? Where did you even get the seaweed to begin with old man?" Dutch asked, eyeing the green goo with disgust.

Jacob crossed his arms and glared at Dutch very knowingly, "I happened to save a couple of seaweed extract from my old days… Genetically modified them and now I happen to be growing them on a water tank in my lab!" He informed, frowning a bit at the group for their inconsiderate expressions towards his new invented beverage.

"I'll give it a go… Besides I'm thirsty!" Said Chuck, taking the glass in his hand and taking a small sip of the green goo, only to regret his decision in the instant; his face reddened, his eyes widened even though you couldn't really tell but it was more than obvious, his cheeks puffed up and he made a soft choking sound, he pushed the girl that sat next to him abruptly out of his way making her almost fall to the ground, if it wasn't for her sudden reflexes to hold on to the table for support as Chuck retched the contents in his mouth on the floor.

"You're gonna clean that!" Yelled Jacob to the retching boy, he walked towards the poor girl who was still trying to find her balance and properly stand, he offered a hand and she willingly took it as he helped her to her feet. "You ok?" He asked her, even though she clearly was; as a smirk grew on her face while regaining her posture.

"Yeah…" She responded chuckling softly at the image of Chuck vomiting. She walked passed the sick boy and playfully ruffled his hair as she passed him by, "Be good while I'm gone…" She said walking towards the parked cars in the garage.

Chuck, who was currently wiping his mouth with his hand raised his head towards the girl; confused at her words, "You're… You're not staying for the announcement?" He asked, bewildered at her sudden decision, and a bit offended that she wasn't including her beloved co-pilot along.

She paused and looked back at Chuck and the rest with a bit of guilt as they watched her with worried eyes. She sighed and rolled her eyes in defeat, "Ok fine! I'll wait until it starts…" She looked at the countdown and notice that it still had 15 minutes left until the big announcement aired. "But I honestly don't feel like listening to that bastard's voice… You guys can fill me in when I come back so I can laugh at his dumb tactics."

"At least stay for the introduction, that'll be a laughing riot…" Said Dutch, sarcasm clearly in his voice.

She smirked, "You know what? Maybe I will stay." She declared taking her seat back on the booth with the rest of the Burners.

/

Chilton was currently in his dorm room, which consisted of a neatly done bed, a nightstand and across the room was a plain desk with a chair. Jenzen, a young blond man was already dressed in his Kane Co cadet uniform and ready for the award ceremony; patiently waiting on a chair for his friend to finish with his preparations, he lazily eyed his watch and glanced at the brunette, "15 minutes to go Mike." Informed the blond cadet.

Mike nodded and stood in front of his mirror as he slipped his uniform's shirt on while Jenzen left the room, the door behind him; hissing to a close. He was looking at his reflection while he adjusted his uniform the way he pleased; popping his collar and straightening the fabric with a swift of his hand to remove any wrinkles visible to the eye. The door hissed open; he didn't really bother looking, he imagined that Jenzen must've forgotten something and came back to the room, his eyes still glued to his own reflection. A pair of small hands started to slowly wrap themselves tenderly around Mike's torso and he would've flinched, jumped or smack them away defensively if these hands belonged to a stranger's, but they were anything but strange to him, so he smirked at the contact.

"You are looking mighty handsome today cowboy…" Said a seductively yet sweet female voice from behind him. He intertwined his fingers with the delicate ones that laid flat against his chest and turned around to meet it's owner. A girl, with big brown eyes; long red straight locks that fell freely behind her back, her lips stained with red lipstick, she was dressed in a mandatory Kane Co unitard that hugged her chic physique and white heeled boots that adorned her feet.

"You don't look so bad yourself beautiful…" He teased, cupping her face with his hand while the other brushed a strand of hair behind her ear. She blushed at his kind words, actually that was an understatement she always blushed at his presence.

"So… You're ready for the ceremony?" She inquired curiously in a slight playful way as her hands laid once again on his chest; swaying as she straightened the fabric to his more than perfect uniform.

"I guess I am, it's not like I'm being awarded with anything. Not that I know of… I'll just probably be there for respect of others…" He trailed off, his hands falling from her face and now hugging her hips.

She gave him a warm grin, "Oh I wouldn't be so sure about that if I were you…" She commented, her voice forcing a laugh back as if to conceal any action that could reveal any unwanted information.

He examined her expression for a couple of seconds, "Oh? Do you happen to know something?" He asked raising an invisible eyebrow, since his brown bangs covered them, as much as she tried he knew his girlfriend very well, and knew exactly when she was concealing something from him.

A soft chuckle escaped her lips, her eyes rolling in a playful way, "Maybe…?" She replied teasingly.

His eyes looking at her with great interest, "Oh really?" He said pulling her closer to him and gently pressing his lips on her forehead.

She giggled at the sudden contact and she was now backing away ever so slightly so her eyes met his once again, "I don't want to spoil the surprise for you Mike…" she said escaping from his arms and walking towards the door, her fingers still twisted in his as she pulled him softly towards the exit.

"Oh I forgot to tell you…" He started, his expression changing to slight worry; she turned and waited for what he had to say with curiosity clearly visible in her features. "Your dad payed me a visit this morning while I was training…"

Her eyes widened and she looked around with uncertainty, nervous at the sudden piece of information. "Did he say anything about…"

"No, no… He scared the crap out of me though." He paused and sighed looking at her with concern, "Julie, we have to tell him… I know he knows we know each other but… He's my boss and I don't want things to get awkward you know? I hate sneaking around all the time just so I can be with you, it doesn't have to be this way."

Julie nodded acknowledging his words; sighing in defeat, "I know… But he's just so strict Mike! And it's not that he doesn't like you, on the contrary he adores you! He's always talking about you, saying how proud he is of you… And how much he trusts you…"

Mike couldn't help but to smile proudly at her words, after all he always thought of Kane as a father figure to him, and for him to say that he was proud of him was something that filled the young cadet's heart with warm pride. His current job was his passion, he enjoyed defending Detroit Deluxe and it's people, he believed in Deluxe's lifestyle and purpose, and he's worked really hard to make things right in his military career; so hard that Kane admired his progress? If anything this made him feel flattered and confident about dating his daughter, and most of all… Letting him know… "Well… If he likes me so much, what makes you think that he won't trust me with his little princess?" He said teasingly pulling her towards him once again.

"That he might get crazy overprotective?" She responded softly, her voice barely a whisper as she slowly leaned her face closer to his, their eyes slowly closing and their lips only inches apart, and they would have succeeded if the door to the room wouldn't have opened abruptly to an alarmed Jenzen.

"He's coming Mike! We have to get in formation now!" Said the desperate blond cadet, his eyes widening when he noticed the couple, he cleared his throat in a respectful manner making the couple blush and untwine away from each other's arms nervously.

"Right!" Said Julie, a nervous chuckle escaping her lips, winking at Mike before she exited the room.

Mike on the other hand was taking the whole situation rather well, he smiled cockily at Jenzen, "Relax…" He said walking towards his nightstand and grabbing a Kane Co pin that had his last name written on it, flawlessly pinning the last piece of his uniform neatly where it belonged, "I got this…" confidently walking past Jenzen and towards the auditorium, which was luckily for him in the same level as his dorm room.

Jenzen smirked and shook his head; chuckling in disbelief at his comrade's usual confidence, "You always do…" he said trailing off before he started to walk quickly behind him.

* * *

**A little something that was inspired by a RP that me and my buddy dadu79 from DA had not too long ago. I hope I do justice to what we came up with, and kudos to those who guess who the mystery Burner leader is! She will be revealed on the next chapter! Actually I have 3 more chapters already written and ready for editing, so please! the quicker you review the quicker these will be posted... That is if you guys really are that interested! ;)**

**Remember this is in an AU in which things happened differently than what we're usually familiar with, so if the characters seem a bit OOC that's probably why! Hehehe... **


	2. Congratulations

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The screen of the Holo-TV located in the Burner's garage went blank, and the rest braced themselves for the worst that could come from Kane. Everyone hated that they had to wait to watch Kane's announcements, not that they were eager to watch, but sometimes Kane's messages weren't a good sign for Motorcity, sometimes it meant trouble for the underground town, and the thought of having to desperately wait to know if lives might be at stake was something pretty unnerving.

Unlike the people in Deluxe who awaited excitedly for the announcement; people down in Motorcity feared every time that tedious countdown popped up on their screens, of course it wasn't always bad; sometimes it meant that Kane wanted to make a public announcement about his new technology, new products, upgrades and services for his precious perfect city. Why Kane decided to broadcast something like that in Motorcity was still a mystery. Some thought that his intentions might be to try and lure or visually buy motorcitizens to Detroit Deluxe, after all technologically speaking Deluxe was way more advanced than Motorcity, and there were people that without a choice left the dark city behind because of health issues. Something that Deluxe promises all of its citizens is good health, and some where desperate enough to leave their humble homes in exchange of a healthy life, treatment, medicine and a plain clear floating pod as a home.

The Burners were currently sitting in the bar area of the garage watching patiently as the Holo-screen started projecting the image of the KaneCo logo with the word "broadcasting" at the bottom, then a full view of what looked like a large opened white stage took over the screen, the guests sitting in the public appeared to be very important people from Deluxe, even though their dress code appeared mandatory the style indicated otherwise and the expression on their faces read superior compared to the rest of the Deluxians. In the public could also be seen, Kane's Ultra Elite Armada who stood neatly in formation as they awaited for the ceremony to begin.

"Oh great! The circus is involved…" Dutch commented, pinpointing the public's dress code, and he didn't had to explain any further for the rest to understand what he actually meant.

Chuck nodded in agreement as he gulped down some water, his stomach still turning from his previous encounter with Jacob's seaweed smoothie, "Well I hope they make it quick!" he commented placing his glass of water on the countertop. He took a moment to glance at the girl sitting next to him, her posture leaning towards the counter and her face was resting in her hands; eyes glued to the screen.

"Yeah well I got a feeling that this isn't something that we should be concerned about…" She said with a sense of clear relief in her tone.

Chuck stared at her as he acknowledged her words, "Well we don't know that yet! For all we know he could declare war on us at the end of the ceremony, there's a reason why this is being broadcasted you know!" he snapped back in almost a whimper.

She glared at him rather annoyed by his negativity, "Well Charles… You said so yourself; it's an award ceremony! I'm pretty sure he just wants to brag about his new toy soldiers that's all! And I don't even know what's so menacing about them, I mean look at them!" she said pointing at the rows and rows of Cadets that stood in formation in the giant stage, some sported fear others uncertainty and very few appeared confident as to why they stood in that stage like statues. People started clapping as Abraham Kane himself walked up and stood behind a podium located in the middle of the stage, this brought a bad taste in the girl's mouth as she eyed the screen with great distaste; her gentle hands closing to a hard fist at the image of her dearly despised enemy.

Chuck frowned at her annoyed, he opened his mouth to shot a comment back, but was cut short when Abraham Kane's voice boomed from the screen, his face quickly turning towards it as he too listened to what the Deluxian leader had to say.

_"Good Evening Deluxe!"_ He greeted, looking straight at the camera, he paused and glanced respectfully towards the sitting crowd, _"KaneCo Executive Staff…" _he commented giving them a welcoming grin before his features turned back to the screen, _"Tonight we gather to honor those who defend our city, the ones who's necks are always on the line for our safety; the loyal, strong and the brave that protect us day and night from the danger that live below us…" _

"Danger?! Aha! So he has heard of Texas!" Declared Texas karate chopping the counter top, causing Chuck's glass to spill all over the table.

"Hey!" Called a frowning Chuck, backing away from the spilled water to prevent from getting wet.

"Dude! Do you mind?!" Voiced Dutch, strongly elbowing Texas, trying to bring him back from his self-glorifying moment.

"Will you quiet down you mindless baboon!" Yelled Jacob, throwing Texas a dirty dried cloth to which he carelessly threw towards Chuck.

"Ugh…" Expressed an irritated Chuck before he started drying the spilled water on the counter.

"Shhh…" Hushed the girl, looking intensely and at the same time with disgust towards the image before her. The rest took the hint and looked back in all seriousness towards the holographic screen.

_"And now a moment of respect and silence for those who've lost their lives in previous battles…" _Announced Kane, his gaze slowly dropping to the floor; bowing his head respectfully.

"Boo hoo… Pity party for your own mistakes now huh?" Expressed the girl in a low irritated tone to no one in particular, her eyes rolling in a displeased way.

_"May those souls rest in peace, your service and dedication will always be honored here in Deluxe." _He expressed with a bit of an eerie sorrowed tone, he smiled politely to the crowd and turned towards the row and rows of KaneCo cadets that stood neatly in formation behind him, he saluted them and they saluted back like programmed robots. _"At ease…"_ he called and they stood back to their original stance._ "Tonight we honor_ you _cadets, the future of this city's victory relies on your hands. Tonight we honor your achievements and dedication, your hard work in training and dangerous missions, they will all be recognized. Tonight some of you will be awarded with higher ranks, some will outrank others and some of you will finally become an Ultra Elite Soldier. Tonight, some of you will find out if your hard work and dedication was all worth it. We will start by calling those who ranked in Second Lieutenant and so on… Once your name is called, you will walk up to me, salute and will be pinned, after that you may go back in formation until you are dismissed… Is that understood?"_ he informed to his army of cadets and they all responded with an approved loud military howl.

_"Very well…"_ Said Kane walking back to his podium where a list of names awaited him, he looked down and read a name out loud; and with that the award ceremony began as the first cadet walked up to him, saluted and got pinned with his newly earned rank, then walked back to his respective place.

The girl gave the screen a very irritated look, "This is gonna take a while…" she commented, strumming her fingernails desperately against the counter top.

A full hour and a half passed and Kane was still calling, saluting and pinning cadets. A few people from the public could be seen standing and clapping in pride as a couple of names were called, probably a family member or a relative from a called cadet.

Texas was currently wearing what looked like virtual glasses, he usually used them to watch some of his favorite vintage action movies since the rest were never interested in them whenever he offered the idea… And it seemed like in that precise moment was the perfect opportunity for him to enjoy one of his favorite flicks. He was flaying his hands in the air with excitement at whatever it was that he was watching, probably one of his exciting ridiculously karate action filled movies; anything was better than this oh so boring mandatory military award ceremony; he mimicked some of the moves carelessly next to the bar, kick, punch, back step, dodge, somersault, punch, kick, punch, punch, jump, kick, land. "Kachaw!" He called in a low high pitched voice.

Dutch rolled his eyes as the sound of Texa's voice reached his ears, he too was trying to kill time during the never ending announcement, his hands holding three cards, he glanced towards a hovering green robot who was also holding three cards in his synthetic robotic hands. "Your turn buddy!" He informed sighing a smile at him, the robot responded with a low high pitched buzzing hum and threw his picked card, making Dutch's eyes widen. "Are you serious? That's three times in a row!" He said defeatedly throwing his cards down as the robot hummed cheerfully at his victory. Dutch looked over at the sitting duo next to him and noticed that they too appeared pretty much bored as they stared helplessly at the screen, Kane was still calling out names, saluting and pinning. "Man how much longer is this gonna take?" He commented irritated.

"I don't know bro, but I swear that if this keeps up I'm gonna shoot myself in the head!" Said the girl in desperation, her fingernails still strumming the counter top, each time harder and harder as her patience was clearly starting to loose control.

"You can always help me with the dishes…" Teasingly suggested the old man behind the counter, his hands held an old sponge, which he was currently using to scrub out burnt food out of a couple of pots and pans.

She let out a sarcastic laugh, stood from the stool and stretched her legs, "You know what? I can't take it!" she expressed desperately, shoving her hands in her pockets and taking out a set of keys, she didn't need to explain any further for the rest to understand what her intentions were. "I'm leaving… You guys fill me in when I get back!" Was all she explained.

No one seemed surprised by her sudden decision, after all she wasn't the type to sit around and wait for action to come at her. The award ceremony didn't seem important to her, neither to the rest minus Chuck; who still had a gut feeling about something bad happening, he hated the fact that he had to wait and see for himself if that was true or not, he hated even more that he was the only one concerned, and he wished more than anything that his best friend would show more interest and concern in something so serious as a Kane announcement, even if it was just a stupid boring military award ceremony… Because with Kane you just never know…

"Wait! He's bumping ranks, he's done with the Ultra Elite Soldiers, I think it's almost done!" Called Chuck, trying to miraculously change her mind, but her mind was determined, she rolled her eyes, shook her head and turned to leave.

_"…The time has come to announce Detroit Deluxe's newest Commander…"_ Kane's voice announced, and a sudden silence took over their surroundings.

"Yeah well like I said you can tell me all about it when I get back!" She said carelessly making her way towards the parked cars.

_"Deluxe! Meet our newest commander…" _

"Alright…" Responded a disappointed Chuck, turning his attention back to the screen. Dutch and Jacob also glanced back at the screen and listened with a sudden curious interest at what was left of the award ceremony.

_"…Commander Chilton!"_ Announced Kane with great pride in his voice.

She heard it, she heard the name because her feet stopped functioning and her eyes widened in complete shock; "Wh- What?" she whispered in fear before her breathing stopped and choked on her own saliva. Gasping and coughing she crumbled to her knees in defeat… Chuck who's jaw dropped at the mention of the name as well glanced desperately back at the shocked and fallen girl, who appeared like she had just gotten badly injured as she coughed and desperately gasped for air, immediately he ran to her aid.

A confused Dutch immediately joined him and Jacob accidentally dropped a glass that shattered as it made immediate contact with the surface, his worried eyes too fell upon the girl while as in queue Texas pulled his glasses up and noticed the commotion, he didn't really understood what was happening but his instinct told him that his friend needed support at the moment.

/

The image of a shocked cadet who looked like he too didn't believe the words that came out of Kane's mouth took over the screen, he walked while sporting a poker face as if he needed someone to pinch him to believe what was just said. He also appeared to be short of breath as he neared Kane, for a second confused at what his next move should be. People in the audience stood and clapped respectfully at their newest commander. His eyes widened with slight fear as he stood in front of his superior, it took him a couple of seconds to recoil, finally falling back to reality his right hand automatically flew towards the side of his forehead for a salute. Kane smiled proudly at Mike as he pinned his new Stars and Sabers on his uniform. Mike wasn't sure if he was allowed to talk, but he felt the sudden urge to question Kane about what was currently happening, 'this was surely a mistake' he thought, 'A dream probably…' he lied to himself. But it wasn't; it was very much real as Kane's voice took over his wandering mind.

"Recite the ode cadet." He said raising his right hand.

Mike blinked and for a split second froze, 'This was really happening' He thought before he mimicked the action and both recited in unison "I solemnly swear loyalty to Deluxe, and to defend it at any cause, to forever wage battle against it's enemies..."

"Congratulations _Commander_…" Said Kane finishing his words with a congratulatory hand shake and smile. Mike was still confused when he let go of Kane's hand, he was about to turn back to his spot among the hundreds of cadets, but Kane placed a heavy hand on his shoulder and softly shook his head, "You're commander now Chilton, you'll stand right next to me from now on." he informed in a low voice that was only audible to Mike, he nodded and stood in formation next to Kane. He took a small glance at the crowd and noticed how the audience still clapped and cheered in pride for him, he still couldn't believe it; how far he's gotten in so little time compared to others, his age was the thing that was currently eating him inside, he must've broken a new record; Deluxe's youngest commander, it didn't made sense to him but this was reality and he had to suck it in and bear with his new responsibility.

/

Her eyes watered and a tear trickled down her cheek, though she wasn't sure if it was because her lungs begged for air or because the image before her was an illusion, the pain in her heart only confirmed that it wasn't a dream and that she may be in need of air but those tears were in fact caused by the sudden ghost on the screen.

"…pri…" She heard a distant voice.

"Capri!" Chuck called to her, this time she finally reacted and glanced at him, her gaze suddenly falling to the ground as her lungs once again gasped for air. By now the coughing had managed to stop, and Chuck helped her back to her feet. Her vision was currently blurry and her mind twirled with unwanted thoughts and memories, she closed her eyes and clutched desperately at Chuck, burying her face in his chest as her heart gave up and low sobs escaped her lips.

Chuck was dumbfounded, and so was everyone else; they weren't really sure what to do or say towards their leader. Texas took a couple of steps towards her and opened his mouth to speak but was automatically stopped by Jacob's hand and a disapproving shaking head that let him know to leave her be and that it wasn't the right time for questioning, that all they could do at the moment is just console her in this confusing time of need.

The ceremony was finally over and the broadcast finally ended, making the screens return to it's regular TV programming.

/

After being dismissed the cadets exited the stage in formation and returned to their duties, a couple stopped and congratulated Mike for his recent achievement, others glowered at him with envy, and he couldn't blame them since he too didn't properly comprehend how he earned the sudden rank. Sure he was very dedicated, more responsible than others he could admit… But his age, his years of experience it just didn't made sense to him.

"Congratulations Commander!" Congratulated a woman as he walked through the public; giving him a warm smile. 'She trusted him? Him?' He thought as her words ran through his mind.

"Er… Thanks…" He vaguely responded as he looked around the crowd, as if looking for someone in particular and while doing so he noticed how some cadets or newly Ultra Elites were being hugged and congratulated by their proud families, he couldn't help but to feel a hint of jealousy towards them, unlike him at least they had someone to celebrate their success with…

He kept walking until he finally spotted a familiar face, his confusing frown turned to a smile as she too noticed him and hurriedly made her way towards him, she was grinning ear to ear and her eyes glimmered with pride as she neared her beloved boyfriend. However, her pace slowed and her smile faded when another figure won her over towards Mike, and he too paused his walk when he noticed who it was, his right hand instinctively flying towards his forehead as he saluted for like the fourth time of the day to his superior.

"Sir." He saluted respectfully at Kane, who just placed a caring hand on his shoulder, making Mike raise a confusing eyebrow.

"At ease commander, I'm just here to personally congratulate you son." He replied, and Mike's posture relaxed, his hands falling to his pockets in a relaxing manner and a small thankful smile spread across his face.

"Thanks sir…" He responded, his gaze suddenly falling to the ground in thought.

Kane noticed this, his features suddenly changing to concern and asked, "Is something wrong commander?"

Mike shook his head and straightened his posture so he could properly face Kane once again, he let out a sigh, "I- I'm sorry sir, but I'm still kind of… Surprised with my new rank I guess… I don't fully understand… Why me?" He asked, and for a slight second he regretted his sudden question when he noticed one of Kane's eyebrows arch.

"Son…" He started in a low voice, that was only meant to be audible for the two of them, "You've outshone your comrades, in all training, skills, physically and mentally. Your talent and dedication goes beyond my highest Ultra Elite Soldiers. I trust you Chilton, and you've earned this rank with your hard work and dedication… I know it may seem drastic, but I know you won't let me or this city down." he expressed grinning warmly at him.

Mike smiled as well, he'd made it! He'd made it and it was hard for him to believe! He nodded respectfully to Kane and shook his hand, "I won't let you down sir." he replied with certainty.

"I know you won't." Responded Kane with reassurance.

Julie who's been standing this whole time next to Kane took a step forward and nervously smiled at Mike, she cleared her throat taking both men's attention. "Congratulations Commander." She said extending a respectful hand towards Mike, he chuckled under his breath nervously and wrapped his huge hand around her small one and shook it.

"Thank you." He responded politely, and his cheeks suddenly burned pink when she delivered a teasing wink at him before she backed away and stood once again next to her father.

Kane chuckled at Julie's presence and wrapped a caring arm around his daughter, "That being said… If you don't have any plans for tonight, how would you like to join me and Julie for a celebration dinner?"

The offer made both Mike and Julie's eyes widen, he didn't exactly had anything planned for the night, other than probably see the girl who was standing in front of him. Julie's eyes darted to Mike's as she looked for support in them, his gaze softened as he thought about Kane's offer. "Um… Wow! Sure!" He quickly responded still surprised that Kane trusted him so much to the point of inviting him over for dinner, a dinner to honor him? This for sure had to be his luckiest day.

Kane nodded and removed his arm from Julie's shoulders, "Very well, I'll see you in about an hour…" he said before turning around and leaving, finally leaving the unknown couple to themselves.

Julie smiled warmly at him, "I'd kiss you right now but… You know too many people around!" she said chuckling in a joking manner.

Mike gave her a half smile for her comment, his expression suddenly changing to disbelief, "You knew didn't you?" he asked changing the subject.

Her smile faded as she analyzed his words, "About what… About your rank?" she asked raising an eyebrow.

He nodded, "Yeah, why didn't you tell me?" he pressed.

"Because _commander_ I already told you, I didn't want to spoil the surprise for you… " she replied taking a few steps towards him, she sighed and straightened his new stars and sabers that laid neatly pinned on his uniform, "I know what you're thinking…" she started, making Mike's wondering gaze fall upon her, "And trust me, I had to take a double look on the files when first I came across them. You are till this day the youngest commander of the KaneCo's army. My dad trusts you Mike, and I can honestly see why… Mike, you've earned this, and this city needs someone like you up there. You have that edge and talent, you have a gift in leadership that exceeded others; compared to the highest Ultra Elites; it was _you,_ a Cadet who exceeded in training and missions. So don't beat yourself so hard, this was very well deserved." She finished taking a moment to look at him, she smiled proudly at him and he just stared at her, speechless for her words. He didn't care if there were people around, he wrapped his arms around her and hugged her tightly making her cheeks lightly blush as she too wrapped her arms around his torso.

"Thanks Jules…" He whispered to her, a warm smile spreading across his face. He might not have any family like the other cadets but for him, Julie was more than enough, she was indeed his blessing in disguise.

She chuckled and broke the hug, her cheeks burning and her eyes scavenged her surroundings for any sign of her father. Of course he wasn't around, but that reminded her… "So now that you're coming over to our humble abode… I was thinking… You were right! I think it's time to let him know, and we should take this opportunity and finally tell him that you and I… You know…" she explained, a bit shyly towards the end of her insinuating sentence.

In a matter of seconds, Mike's expression changed from warmth and care to sudden fear and nervousness, wasn't he the one who was trying to convince Julie not too long ago about this? He wasn't exactly sure if it was how his day was turning, and he still wasn't sure how to swallow his recent events, but besides worrying about his new responsibility as a commander he also had to worry about letting his superior know that he was secretly dating his daughter. He swallowed hard at the realization, looked down at Julie in thought and forced a nod, somewhat agreeing with her.

She smiled back at his support and let out a heavy sigh, "Well I guess I'll see you in a bit, you _do_ remember where I live right?" she asked with a wink, making Mike teasingly smile back at her.

"Why... I don't recall ever entering your house Miss Kane…" He replied in a teasing voice.

She giggled at his tone, "Just don't be late cowboy… Hope you don't get _lost_…" she turned while mischievously smiling at the playful sarcasm in their voices.

"Let's hope not..." He replied smiling as well before turning and parting separate ways.

* * *

**Thank you guys for the reviews! **

**And yes I decided to make Capri (For those who don't know who she is... She is Mike's older sister, she was meant to be on season 2 of Motorcity, meaning she is canon...) part of the story because frankly there's not much of her out there and even though she wasn't part of the show (AHEM Because of Disney's fault...) And we don't know much about her I will try my best to do her character some justice! I seem to like her a lot, so lets revive her purpose! **

**Please review! I would greatly appreciate it! :)**


	3. Revelations Part I

"What was dad like?" Inquired a young boy; probably around the age of 8, his shaggy brown locks concealing his curious raised eyebrow and his mouth was slightly ajar; revealing a couple of missing teeth. He was currently sitting on top of a twin sized bed, his legs swinging back and forth as they dangled freely from the side of the bed; sporting his mandatory KaneCo pajamas and from the sound of the environment you could easily tell that it was nighttime. There was a serene silence surrounding the room and a low swish that was caused by the cool air that traveled through the air vents. He glanced at the dazing girl sitting next to him and gave her a puzzled look as he worriedly tried to get her attention. She didn't look back, she looked distracted, her eyes staring at nothing in particular and her mind… Somewhere else…

"Capri?" he called, finally taking her off her thoughts. Jumping slightly in her spot she glanced down at the boy in wonder and delivered him a caring grin. He always asked the same question at least 3-5 times a month, and she never minded answering the same response. He smiled back, somewhat relieved to see the familiar grin on her face and giving her an expectant look. It was as if he needed to feed from her more clear memories in order for him to always remember the past, something that was always a blur to him.

"He was very brave…" She replied with a painful bliss at the thought, "He was tall, strong… He could easily carry both you and me at the same time," she paused and chuckled to herself at the memory, "He was very dedicated with his work and with us, and you look just like him!" she commented, causing a proud grin to spread across the young boy's face; his eyes glimmering with pride just like they always did every time he listened to the same descriptions, "and he was very… Funny!" Her hands ruffled his hair, causing a giggle escape the young boy's mouth.

She giggled along with him as her hands traveled to his stomach where they wiggled ferociously, causing a loud cackle erupt from him.

"Hey stop!" He cried in between cackles, trying his best to reply the action but failing to do so as Capri dodged his fingers away from her. She was always quicker than him whenever it came down to reacting towards games, though he wasn't too far behind when it came down physical skills.

"Hey no fair! It's always one way with you isn't it?" He expressed with slight frustration, crossing his arms and pouting his lips. Capri grinned and placed a hand on his shoulder, his eyes suddenly falling upon the brunette sitting next to him, his lips turning upward to a smile. He could never stay mad at her. She was all he had.

They remained silent for a couple of seconds before Capri let out a heavy sigh and stretched her arms upwards, "Alright… It's time for bed Michael." she declared while she stood from the bed and properly faced the 8 year old.

Michael frowned at the mention of his name, the pout returning to his lips as he looked away from her with sudden irritation, "It's Mike!" He corrected, crossing his arms once again.

The taller brunette chuckled at this; he always preferred the short version of his name. Rolling her eyes she motioned for him to get under the covers, "Ok _Mike_…" she replied with a teasing sarcastic tone. He stood from the bed and she held the covers up, welcoming him to his slumber nest. Hesitantly he lied down and Capri tucked him in, planting a kiss on his forehead to which he replied with a face of disgust; she expressed, "Goodnight Michael…" she walked towards the bed opposite his and sat before she started to take her shoes off and prepare herself for the good night's rest that her body desperately begged for.

"_Mike…_" He pressed dazedly before he drifted off to sleep.

Capri smiled and tucked herself in before turning her lamp off; causing the small room she shared with her younger brother to suddenly turn pitch black… Her mind returning to those worried thoughts that haunted her earlier… And in that moment, she wished for every night to be the same as this one. Regardless if she had to describe over and over to Mike how their parents looked and were like, in this tiny room located in one of Deluxe's orphanage… No, this was luxury compared to what might await the 10 year old in the next couple of days, she carried something very valuable in her, something that didn't belong to her… Something that caused hope and fear for her and Mike's well being. She gulped and curled her tiny frame in the mattress.

_'This could change everything…'_ She worriedly thought.

Luckily it didn't last long before she gave in, and drifted into her slumber…

…

A sudden thud brought the brunette back to reality, her eyes widening and jumping slightly in her seat. Jacob had placed a cup of hot liquid on the surface of the table where her arms and head were currently resting. He looked at her with concern, and it appeared to be nighttime; the garage seemed more quiet than usual, hers and Jacob's vehicles being the only ones currently remaining in the parking lot. She assumed the others were out for dinner at Antonio's as usual…

"It'll help you sleep…" Were the only words he provided, with the hopes of making a sad attempt of providing her with some comfort.

Automatically she pushed the mug away, like a little girl who refused to eat her vegetables. This seemed to have upset Jacob, because his arms folded across his chest and his expression read of one who've just been offended, he raised an eyebrow at her even though her sorrowed bloodshot eyes never met his. "If you must know… It's not one of my creations. It's just some chamomile tea from that herb lady downtown!" He replied nastily.

She let out a heavy breath before straightening herself in her seat, stretching a hand she reached for the mug and pulled it towards her. "Thanks…" She replied in a low voice, her gloved hands raising the mug towards her face so she could take a proper sniff at the hot beverage.

Jacob's expression softened, he couldn't be upset at her, not now. This is the most vulnerable he's ever seen her, and that's a lot to take in, to the point where if there should be an attack at this precise moment, she'll surrender at the spot.

He took a seat next to her while she took her first sip of the tea, "I can only imagine how hard it was for you…" he commented, trying to get more words out of her. His eyes fixed on his hands that rested on the table.

She set the mug down, her eyes falling to the table as well while slowly shaking her head, "I don't want to talk about it." she added immediately in a hurt tone, clearly trying to avoid the subject.

"Look Capri, you are one tough young lady. You and the Burners have come a long way, done so much good for this city, sometimes accomplished the impossible for the people down here…" He paused and Capri's hurt eyes fell upon his concerned ones, letting out a heavy sigh he continued with his words, "I know this isn't easy for you…"

She shook her head in denial, causing the old man to abruptly pause his words, "I said I don't want to talk about it Jacob!" she pressed, her throat getting tighter at the thought and her eyes once again glistening with fresh tears.

Jacob frowned at her stubbornness, here he was trying to console her and she just didn't want support. As if she would prefer to stay shattered while carrying the burden all by herself, he wouldn't permit it, she might act like she's made out of stone, but even the bravest people he's known reach a breaking point. This was hers… "At least we know he's alive." He quickly added, and at his words her wet brown eyes met his.

Breaking eye contact she looked down at the mug she held in her hands as the tears streamed freely through her cheeks. For a second her sobs seemed to have confused Jacob, were her cries a symbol of relief or frustration? "This is all my fault…" She replied immediately, freeing herself from whatever mental restrain she was holding herself against.

"This was certainly not your fault Capri, you did what you had to do to protect him!" Added Jacob in a convincing tone.

"I should've never left him!" Her voice broken and filled with guilt as she cried.

Her cries echoed through the entire garage, and a new set of footsteps neared her and Jacob's spot. Capri's face was buried in her arms as Jacob's consoling words accompanied her anguished sobs.

Chuck now stood next to Jacob who was sitting next to the crying girl, with a light touch he caught the old man's attention, giving him a worried look; he silently asked about Capri's state, even though it was more than evident that her progress was anything but positive. Like the rest of the team minus Jacob who knew part of the brunette's past, Chuck wasn't really updated on why Capri had reacted that way when she saw that Chilton boy on the screen. Sure they had the same last name, physically resembled each other a lot so it was more than obvious that they were related. Why was she so upset was still a mystery to the blond teen and the rest of the Burners.

"I'm sorry…" She apologized with a sheepish broken tone. Jacob stood and switched places with Chuck; maybe the blond teen could provide better support as he now sat next to Capri.

"Capri…" Started the blond boy, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder she suddenly felt it necessary to meet his hidden eyes, "I'm not really sure what's going on… But I can only guess that you're somehow related to Deluxe's newest commander. You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to… We don't really know much from your past anyway, but Cap we do care for you! We're your friends and we're worried about you… Seeing you like this… It wasn't easy for us…" he frowned at the thought, it didn't feel right not knowing much about her troubled past, and he hated seeing his best friend so hopeless since he wasn't really sure how to properly console her, but something was certain, his noggin itched to know the truth.

Capri sunk into Chuck's words and managed to calm herself for the time being, though tears still streamed through her cheeks she seemed more calmed than before. She nodded to Chuck, snuffling every now and then, "He's my younger brother…" she spoke lowly, finally admitting her most priced secret. Chuck pushed his fringe back so his eyes could properly meet hers, "Michael…" she continued, still snuffling in between words. "He's around you guy's age actually…"

Chuck looked at her with great interest, grateful for the sudden piece of information, but mostly because she was finally opening up to him. His friendship with Capri was mostly professional but very discreet. She was a very private and cold girl; not much of a personal talker, he'd always assumed that it was because of the age gap, after all she was older than him by 3 years.

Chuck nodded, "You two look a lot alike…" he replied carefully, even though this information was new to him; he didn't want to ruin it by saying anything that could bring the brunette to her down state once again.

A small smile appeared in Capri's dazed face, her eyes resting on her hands that were currently holding the mug of tea, "Yeah… we do…" her eyes closed and another set of fresh tears fell from her eyes, she tried to compose herself but it was evidently too much for her at the moment.

The blond teen frowned at the brunette's sudden change of behavior, to him she was making some progress, even a smile have crept on her face, and now he felt guilty for his previous words as if he triggered something in her, "Hey… I- I'm sorry, we don't have to talk about it if you don't feel comfortable about it!"

Her head was shaking, and she quickly dried her teary eyes before they met his, "It's… It's not that, it's just that… I haven't seen Mike since I left Deluxe, and it's everything together! The thought of him being alive. Yes, I am beyond thankful for that. But all these years I thought I would never see him again, because of what I did…" she sniffled and dried more running tears, "Because of what I did, the reason I left Deluxe… I was selfish and left him, _him_! The only one I had. My mind started to play tricks on me as soon as I escaped… What if Kane went after him and as punishment… I don't know…" she stopped herself, not wanting to get deeper into her dark thoughts, and by now she had given up on drying her tears as they now streamed freely through her cheeks.

"But nothing bad happened to him Capri, he's very much alive!" Supported Chuck, he still couldn't understand; she should be happy about her brother being alive, shouldn't she?

Again she shook her head desperately and an irritated look took over her features, "You don't get it! He's… Kane's doing this on purpose! I can bet anything that this whole thing has a purpose!" She retorted nastily, clearly upset about the subject, her bloodshot angry eyes shooting through Chuck and Jacob.

If Chuck and Jacob where confused before, now they were beyond that. They exchanged a questioning look with each other before turning back to her, their eyes begging for a deeper explanation.

"And why is it precisely that you think that Kane is pronouncing your brother as his Commander?" Inquired Jacob with clear sarcasm in his tone, his arms folding in his chest in an unconvinced manner.

Capri let out a frustrated sigh and wiped away a couple of tears that still stained her face, "Isn't it obvious? Our last name is tainted to that man… He's trying to get to me." she replied slightly paranoid.

There was a brief silence for a couple of seconds, Jacob raised an eyebrow at the brunette, and the blond teen just shook his head as he tried to comprehend what the leader's words really meant.

"Aren't you supposed to be dead to Kane's eyes?" Asked a perplexed and uncertain Chuck.

"Yeah, isn't that why you use that pretty little handkerchief you have tied around your neck? To hide your face every time you leave the garage? So nobody knows who you really are? I mean, the leader of the "Burners" is still a mystery even for the people down here!" Pressed Jacob, obviously still not believing Capri's explanation.

Capri's gaze fell to the table, "That's what I thought too… But think about it guys, what else could it possibly be? I mean why Mike? He's so young… Why would he give an 17 year old that kind of big responsibility? And out of all his soldiers, it had to be him! It just doesn't make sense…" and now that she mentions it, it didn't make any sense, and the rest making it very well known as well, their faces filled with more questions that they obviously didn't have the answers to, only insinuations for the time being.

Out of the three Chuck seemed to be the least convinced, even though he was very much loyal to Capri's explanation, "But… Your KaneCo files, they say you're deceased, caused by a catastrophic accident. Don't you think that if Kane had any suspicions about your existence it would have been updated? And another thing… All these years," He paused, popping up a holographic screen in front of him as he hacked his way into KaneCo's database, his fingers typing at the holographic keyboard, the name 'Michael Chilton' was typed on a search bar and Mike's profile appeared before their eyes, Age, Sex, Date of Birth, Eye Color, Skin Color, Height, Weight, Education, Current Position, Finger Prints, Blood type… You name it, it was in the file, along with a profile picture of Mike sporting his KaneCo Military uniform, "All this time and you didn't even look him up to check up on him? I mean… Seriously?" asked a bewildered Chuck.

Capri let Chuck's words sink in, she bit her lower lip and sheepishly shook her head. "I've always been afraid of what I might find…" There was a brief pause while she thought of her next words, "I don't think I would have been able to forgive myself if something really did happened to him… I left him, and while both choices might have endangered him anyway… I regret it, and now I know that he would've been safer by my side. And now…" Her eyes met with the holographic screen in front of Chuck's face, her eyes falling upon her brother's picture, anger suddenly taking her over, "He's by that monster's side… And I can honestly say this has got to be my worst nightmare…"

"I understand… But what if he really is that good?" Chuck asked softly, trying his best to sound as reasonable as possible.

Capri's eyes darted to Chuck's hidden ones, her eyebrows furrowing as she thought about his words, and a soft chuckle escaped her lips, "I wouldn't doubt it… I know he has what it takes to succeed, and you may be right Chuck. But truth is I'm just really scared of Kane's intentions… It's all just a little hard to believe right now…"

/

Mike was currently walking out of his room, his pace normal but his pensive eyes rested upon his moving feet as he made his way towards the elevator. The golden glow that adorned the hallways let everyone know that the sun was at it's setting.

Completely lost in thought and probably because he wasn't used to it, Mike was unaware that a couple of cadets walking past him had stopped to salute their newest Commander as part of their mandatory rules to always stop and salute to those superior to you. None said anything to the commander, none questioned why was he so unaware of his surroundings, instead they exchanged perplexed glances at each other and carried on towards their destinations.

A ding let Mike know that his lift was awaiting him, he stepped inside and pressed the correct button to his exit. His walk out of KaneCo Cadet's dorm building was even more awkward to him, by now he had noticed a couple of cadets stopping and saluting; it took him a couple of seconds for him to react and remember why the sudden change of behavior in his comrades, he wasn't one of the bunch anymore; he was superior and deserved their respect from now on. In fact he had to move out of the cadet dorms in the next couple of days and into the higher ranked barracks… More like apartments actually, because they had more luxury than your average Cadet or Ultra Elite barrack.

He sighed at the thought, was he really ready for such responsibility? From now on he wasn't a common soldier, he had to watch over the sea of cadets that surrounded him, and while he might be wearing the same colors as them it was more than clear that it wouldn't be the same anymore. From now on he was to be admired, respected, asked for permission to speak, await for his orders, permission to act, saluted… etc.

Was this all too much?

His stomach turned when his hand reached KaneCo Tower's main entrance, he walked in and immediately you could tell the difference of ambience, it wasn't crowded though there were a couple of the most sophisticated people lounging around the lobby, some held a glass of wine while they read KaneCo's latest news on their holo-pads, others chit chatted while formal music played in the background. Artificial white plants were set out in different areas for decoration and the furniture was perfectly white, but unlike the rest of Deluxe's furniture these read the highest quality in materials. And of course you couldn't miss the huge portrait of Kane himself hanging behind the opened lobby's front desk.

Mike walked up to the receptionist sitting behind the desk, and she immediately grinned politely at him as soon as she recognized his more than familiar face. He was about to speak but she beat him to it when she suddenly greeted him, "Good evening, Commander." a huge grin spread across her face as her excited eyes fixed themselves upon the teenager in front of her.

"Hi… Uh… Kane is-"

"Yes. Mr. Kane is expecting you." She interrupted very knowingly, her fingers typing quickly something on her holo-keyboard, Mike didn't know if the fact that she was completing his sentences helped or worsened his nerves, after all he wasn't just going for dinner at his boss's luxury apartment, he also had to talk to him about something very foreign to his main purpose of visit, "Alright, level 30, the Penthouse… They're waiting for you. Have a very nice evening Commander." said the receptionist, taking Mike away from his thoughts.

"Oh… Thanks, you too." He said before turning and heading towards the elevators. Pressing the correct level he breathed heavily, bracing himself for what his night had to offer.

*Ding!*

He stepped out and walked towards the only door in the small corridor in front of him, he knocked softly and waited patiently for an answer.

* * *

**Sorry for leaving you guys hanging here... It was originally meant to be a longer chapter but it was getting really long so I ended up dividing the chapter in 2 parts. Which btw I have half of the fourth chapter written, but with finishing, editing and changing it little by little it'll take a a couple of days before it gets posted, hopefully not too long though hehehe.**

**Also, we don't know much about Capri... Other than she's supposed to be a badass (HELL-O she's a Chilton!), and truthfully I've always imagined her being very VERY over protective of her younger brother, but very teasing towards him as well.**

**Thanks for the reviews guys! I know the flashback might seem a little confusing, but there's a couple more coming your way... Maybe not on the next chapter but soon enough! **

**Also, I'm a little confused on what's Chuck's age... At one point I thought about bumping a year to the only 2 ages we know of... which is Mike-17 and Capri-19... Because of some future content... BUT then I thought, (Mostly because of Mike... Hope I don't spoil anything... LOL!) teenagers today do way more worst things, so what's the harm on keeping the original ages! XD So just in case... these are the ages (At least on this story...), Mike is 17/18 (Late 17), Julie is 17, Dutch is 18, Capri is 19, Texas is 17 (Still uncertain about this one... I kinda think he's older...) and Chuck is 16... Anyways tell me what you guys think about it, like POM has mentioned, it's kind of hard for me to treat the characters as teenagers when the fandom/creators actually sees them as if they're in their 20's... (At least I do...) **


	4. Revelations Part II

A couple of seconds passed while he patiently waited to be greeted by the home owners, his hands digging themselves into his pockets in a carefree manner, but the purpose was mostly to ignore the sweat currently coating his hands. The door slid to an open, and he was greeted by a red haired teenaged girl that he very well knew…

"Commander…?" She greeted in a playful tone, a smirk running through her lips as her caring eyes fell upon her secret lover's.

Mike smiled warmly at her, "Julie." He replied respectfully, and at the mention of her name a soft giggle escaped her lips. Though she didn't like the fact that they had to play pretend at the moment, she found it rather amusing how Mike always referred to her as just another person he knew, but with much deserved respect for who she really is.

She stepped aside from the entrance, silently gesturing him to come in, "Well… You're more than welcome to come in!"

"Don't mind if I do…" He said playfully as he walked passed her and into the home's foyer, the door behind him closing. He paused and politely waited for Julie to walk first, after all he was the guest. But instead of that happening Julie grabbed his arm and pulled him towards a hidden corner invisible to the main hallway, she pressed herself against him; pinning him against the wall. At first the gesture took him by surprise, his eyes widening while his heart raced quickly… It wasn't what she was doing, it was where and who lived here as well that brought the sudden worry inside the commander.

"I never got the chance to properly congratulate you…" She whispered in his ear, causing the hair on the back of his neck to rise; something that she always managed to do whenever she talked blissful nonsense in his ear. A weak spot he figured.

"Jules… Your dad…" He tried protesting in an almost whispered tone. She took a quick glance back as if to check if the coast was clear and she shushed him immediately when she pressed her lips against his, and he couldn't help it; she was his weakness, so his eyes closed slowly and his hand slowly traveled to her hips as he returned and deepened the kiss. At this precise moment, Julie was all that mattered to him, not Kane, not his rank nor his new responsibilities, every recent worry suddenly vanished from him as he let himself get lost in the kiss.

"Julie! Is Chilton here?" Called a voice from the hallway. Her eyes widened and she swiftly parted from her lover's lips, she gave Mike a quick glance before she loosened herself from his arms and cleared her voice.

"Uh… Yeah! He just got here actually." She informed rapidly.

"Oh good, dinner is ready!" Kane informed, apparently walking out of a room and into another as footsteps could be heard.

Julie turned and softly snorted at Mike as a silly smile formed on her lips, quickly walking up to him once again; and with her thumb she wiped a small lipstick stain from his lips, "Sorry about that..." she spoke softly, giving him an apologetic look.

Mike just looked at her sheepishly, a bit strangely embarrassed by the whole thing. Even though he wasn't the one who started, he had to admit… He wished they were never interrupted, "Hey, it's fine…" he smiled, "Let's just get this over with, we don't want our food to get cold now do we?"

She chuckled, "No, and we certainly don't want to keep _him_ waiting…" she quickly added in a whisper. "Now come on!" Walking through the hallway, Mike followed behind until they reached a large opened living/dining room area. Fine modern white furniture decorated their surroundings, and a ridiculously large dining table; perfectly set for 3 people.

"Chilton! Glad you made it!" Boasted Kane as he walked out of what appeared to be the kitchen and into the dining area to meet with the Commander and his daughter.

"No, thank _you_ for the invite, it's an honor to be here sir." Replied Mike with a smile, walking towards Kane to physically greet him with a respectful handshake, no salutes since they were technically off duty.

Kane chuckled, and shook his hand, "You deserve this son, you've earned it… Please, have a seat our meals should be served shortly," he said in a welcoming manner, walking towards the table and gesturing Mike to take a seat. Kane took his place at the main host chair where he could properly face his company.

Julie quietly took her seat beside Kane and across from her sat Mike. It wasn't that she didn't want to add to the conversation, sure this was her home but whenever it came down to her father and having someone from work over it usually meant business, so either she was excluded from the dinner/meeting for her own "safety" (according to Kane…) Rarely she was included, and when that was the case she was to stay quiet out of respect for whatever reason it was that her father's guest had come over. But this time it was different, she knew Mike and Kane had knowledge of that, so either it was the nerves finally hitting her or either she felt it instinct to be quiet and polite as per usual.

Mike stared baffled at the amount of plates, drinking glasses and silverware that rested neatly before him, he doesn't recall seeing so many in his life since he's used to eating in Deluxe's dining halls ever since he could remember. Julie noticed this and giggled quietly to herself not really making fun of him, but mostly thinking how cute he appeared when he was confused. If anything Julie wasn't really sure on how to properly use most of the utensils in front of her either, she barely sat on this dining table since her father never really made it back on time to properly dine with her, so she usually grabs a bite on her own and eats in the kitchen or at KaneCo's cafeteria since she was technically a KaneCo intern.

Two of the Kane family's personal butlers walked out of the kitchen, one holding a pitcher filled with water and the other a sealed bottle of a yellowish clear liquid. Like robots; one of them poured water onto all of the water goblets while the other asked politely if they desired to accompany their meals with some white wine, to which Kane gladly accepted and automatically dismissed for Julie. Without even asking he took Mike's empty wine glass and handed it over to the server, his eyebrow arching perplexedly since he was still technically a minor.

"Uh… No thanks, I'm not reall-" He tried to dismiss with a sheepish tone.

"Nonsense Chilton," Started Kane, placing his now filled glass in front of him, "This is your big day, and it calls for a proper celebration." He declared proudly.

Julie frowned at her father's words, not that she really cared about drinking… But she found it a little hypocrite that he wouldn't permit it on her, yet he encouraged Mike into drinking, a minor with her same age. She'd always had a feeling that her father would've always preferred a boy rather than a girl, not that she doubted his love for her… But when she really thinks about it, things would've been easier for Kane if his only child was a male. He wouldn't have to overprotect it like he does with her, he would probably feel more connected towards a male child versus her. Plus not having her mother around has made raising Julie a challenge for him, for there are a lot of things girls go through that he wasn't too experienced at. But it wasn't just that, she mostly thought it was very irresponsible of her father to offer, no not offer, pressure a minor into drinking, a minor that was practically now a public figure, someone to be admired and followed as an example by Deluxe's armada and people.

"Dad, he doesn't want any!" She spat quietly yet very sternly, her eyes not meeting either of them but her lap.

Kane's eyes quickly fell upon her upset daughter, a frown was now visible in his face while Mike looked at her thankful for the sudden support. She didn't dare meet her father's eyes, instead she ignored the beings around her; reaching for the goblet in front of her she took a sip of water.

The dictator sighed and nodded as he reasoned Julie's intentions, "Alright, I'm sorry… I guess you're right!" He defeatedly admitted, giving Mike an apologetic look.

Mike smirked sheepishly and nodded, quietly accepting his apology. Truth is, he was curious to taste the wine since the beverage was something that only the finest people of Deluxe had the luxury to afford. Mike was a very daring and wondering teenager; but he had to be responsible, specially now that he carried such a high responsibility on his hands.

A couple of minutes passed and after minor chit chatting between Mike and Kane their food was served, and the former cadet was surprised to see that what laid on the plate before him wasn't the usual food cubes he was used to eating, instead it was actual food! A piece of some kind of meat covered in some kind of sauce accompanied by a white mush and green plants? Something that was rarely seen in Deluxe though not impossible, after all the food cubes were merely processed food with just the necessary vitamins and nutrients. And he had to admit that the plate before him seemed and smelled more appetizing than the cubes he religiously ate everyday.

Before they could dig into their plates, Kane raised his glass of wine; precisely directing it towards Mike, Julie mimicking her father's actions, "To you Chilton, for your loyalty to Deluxe, your talent and dedication… May you succeed in your newest achievement, and direct those under your command with the proper guidance." Mike raised his glass as well, giving both Kane and Julie a warm thankful smile before they took the traditional sip.

"Thanks…" he replied before placing his glass down and finally getting the chance to eat his meal.

He quietly looked around as he ate, the luxury apartment, the food, Kane, Julie… And he suddenly felt so grateful that this family cared for him enough to invite him over their home and lives just to celebrate his recent achievement. It caused a warm feeling to rise inside of him. If it wasn't for them he would've probably ended up eating dinner alone in the cadet's dinning hall. And if he was lucky enough, Julie would've sneaked out and secretly met with him somewhere, though only for a limited amount of time. So to be with her and her father inside their home having a dinner to honor him was something remarkably special for him. This was something that he really desired one day, to have something he never really did have as a kid, a real home and a family.

After dinner came dessert, but this time it wasn't real food like the main course; it was actually dessert cubes, rarely seen as well, but sold as treats if you're lucky enough to find some.

"Chilton, after dinner I would like to have a word with you in my office… There's a couple of future missions I'd like to fill you in, now that you're commander you'll be in complete charge of them, and it's very important that you understand the purpose of such." Informed Kane with a tone of authority; he didn't really take the time to personally look at Mike, he knew that whenever it came down to business he was superior to him and didn't really needed to show him the same respect others did to him.

Mike nodded while taking a sip of his water, he glanced at Julie who for him was oddly quiet and nervously swiveling her fork on her dessert cubes, his gaze still glued to her as he waited for her eyes to meet his, and when they finally did he looked for support in them. Her eyes glistened in the soft evening light, her lips slightly ajar while she got lost in Mike's brown orbs. He took a quick glance at Kane, silently pointing and asking if she was sure about his next move, it took her a couple of seconds but she sighed sofly and nodded, somewhat giving him permission to reveal their secret to the person they've been concealing it the most.

It was strange, but somehow she found herself more nervous than what she thought she would be. While to the eyes of the people who personally knew who she really was; she was spoiled, always got what she wanted but not by request but by luxury for who she was. Kane was a very over protective parent, Julie was the only family member he had left and likewise; they only had each other in their lives, and while she always tried to cherish that, Kane always tried to treat her as if she was made out of glass. Private to the rest's knowledge, her identity a mystery to most, and only the privileged or those Kane found trustworthy enough knew who she really was and how precious and valuable her identity really was. Mike fell upon those privileged ones and he knew it. He never realized how much Kane actually valued him until he declared him with "special clearance", clearance that at first didn't made sense to him. He snorted when he first read the file of his next assignment, he basically had to 'babysit' Kane's kid? He didn't know Kane had a kid… No one knew, and he swore to Kane himself that he shall not divulge the information, that it was provided to him because Kane trusted him to that level… Though he hated the idea at first, he regrets ever feeling that way.

But she was not an expensive glass figurine, she could take care of herself, and while Kane might be a strict parent, she was 17 years old. Old and responsible enough to finally see and date who she wanted. She might live under a ruler's roof, and she might seem to others a goodie two shoes, but Julie always carried a spark of defiance in her, something so daring and contradicting to her image, say no to her and she won't hesitate to fight for what she believes in.

She bit her lower lip, and nodded again for reassurance, the brunette nodded back and took a quick sip of water before he found the courage in him to actually speak. His hands where starting to sweat again, and his heart's pace accelerated at the thought. This could either go well or wrong, he could loose his career in an instant; everything he's ever worked hard for lost, he could earn a beating by Kane and even though he was very well trained; Kane was bigger than him and he knew the leader's skills since he's seen him train from time to time at KaneCo's gymnasium. Another possibility was that he could get killed… Yeah that was very probable in his cards. Or… Kane would accept it but give them a hard time since he's a very strict man; he could live with that… Or he could just plainly accept it and just be very happy for them which was the least likely to happen according to the couple's thoughts.

Mike swallowed hard and softly cleared his throat, "Actually Sir… There's something I've been meaning to talk to you about…" he started, his eyes slowly glancing at Kane with slight shyness. Kane's eyes were now filled with wonder, he raised an eyebrow at the commander and watched him intently.

"Oh, sure! Go ahead Chilton! Or is this something that you wish to talk in private?" He inquired, indirectly referring himself to Julie who was currently bracing herself for the worst. Her cheeks burning red with nerves, her stomach turning at the bad thoughts and for some reason she found it impossible to meet Mike's gaze.

Mike shifted uncomfortably in his seat, "Uh…" He froze for a second and glanced at the now dazedly looking Julie across from him; her fingers nervously twisting themselves in her long red locks, he blinked and proceeded, "No… Uh, no here's… Here's fine." he reassured.

Kane's eyebrows furrowed, he could tell he was nervous, stammering on his words… He couldn't help but to feel slightly worried about what the young commander had to say, "Very well." he replied simply, placing his silverware down and giving him his full attention.

Mike breathed heavily and nodded, "Well actually it's something that me and Julie have to tell you…" the mention of her name brought a sudden frown in Kane's features.

Glancing with great interest at his daughter he replied, "Oh?" but Julie wouldn't dare meet his eyes, instead they automatically flew towards Mike, her skin suddenly pale and her lips emotionless as they laid completely flat on her face. This brought even more interest to Kane, his eyes analyzing the pair for anything he should be concerned about, "Do tell…" and though it wasn't completely certain but there was a hint of bitterness in his tone.

"As you know, me and Julie have known each other for a couple of months now…" Kane nodded; agreeing with Mike's words, "And well… I've been following my orders on keeping a close eye on her with her external activities. Just like you asked me to... And while doing so… Well we've gotten to known each other personally, and it turns out that with time we've kind of grown feelings towards each other…" In that moment Kane didn't need to listen to anymore words about the subject, he knew where Mike was going with this as his frown deepened. Julie's eyes falling to the table, her hands fiddling more intensely with her hair.

"Sir…" Looking with all seriousness at the Deluxian leader directly at his eyes, "We've been seeing each other for the past 4 months. Behind assigned shifts sir." he finally admitted, and he could've sworn he felt the burden leave his shoulders for a slight second and suddenly return when he noticed that Kane's menacing frown was still tattooed on his face.

That's when Julie found it in her to meet her father's gaze, her apologetic eyes completely worried for Mike's safety. He stared back, his serious eyes piercing through her. She licked her lips and nodded, finally supporting Mike's words, "I-It's true…" she admitted in a soft trembling voice.

Kane's eyes closed and he let out a heavy sigh, while his features portrayed annoyance. He started to shake his head and a soft sarcastic chuckle erupted from his lips, causing the couple to exchange questioning glances with each other.

Julie frowned, furious by her father's sudden lack of seriousness. She glanced at Mike and noticed that he was just sitting quietly, a baffled expression on his face as he tried to understand Kane's strange reaction as well. There was nothing he could really do now, but only pray that his lover's father wouldn't break him to pieces and have him obliterated by one of his strongest enforcement drones.

"This isn't a joke!" She assured with a tone louder than her usual humble one, banging a fist against the table she caught both of her company's attention. Kane's cackle disappearing at the spot.

Mike still remained quiet, he rested his hands on the table and wrapped his fingers together. Kane's displeased expression returned even though it appeared to be less intense than before, his eyes looked more surprised than anything else. "Oh it isn't?" He retorted with sarcasm, which only caused Julie to narrow her eyes at him nastily.

"No." She simply replied.

The leader scoffed, "So you think it isn't funny that I assign _him,_" a finger pointing at the former cadet,"to keep an eye on you when daddy's a little too busy?" He replied, raising his voice a little. Julie's menacing look still piercing through her father.

"Because I sure think it's amusing when I do this sort of thing to try and protect you from this cruel world's dangers, and you go and take full advantage of it!"

The young commander couldn't help but to feel a bit embarrassed by Kane's words, was he suggesting that he was weak?

"Dad, I'm seventeen! I never needed anyone to look after me! No one besides a couple of people know who I really am and I honestly don't know why you're so paranoid about me all the time… I'm not a child anymore and I can take care of myself!" The red haired crossed her arms and looked away from both her father and boyfriend.

"You sneak out after curfew and out of working hours… You leave those annoying holograms behind thinking they could fool me? You don't think that's amusing to me?" Kane pressed with a sarcastic chuckle.

"Maybe if you trusted me more I wouldn't have gotten to that point…" She responded coldly.

"And what a coincidence that you always did it when it was Chilton's rec hours… Yes, hilarious!" He finished, and with his words both Mike and Julie's eyes widened and darted towards Kane who let out a heavy breath as if he too just got something out of his system.

"Wait- You… You knew?!" Asked a perplexed Julie.

"Of course I knew sweetheart! I know how sneaky you can be sometimes, though not sneaky enough… I guess there's a couple of hidden cameras you two forgot to hide from." He replied very knowingly, he touched a button on the table and a holo-screen appeared before them; he typed something in the search bar and a video started playing, it appeared to be a dark auditorium which both Mike and Julie immediately recognized as the Cadets training center's auditorium, where they stood not too many hours ago for the awards ceremony. Even though the footage was dark you could easily make out the form of the two teenagers present in the room. Julie seemed to be sitting on top of a table while Mike stood in front of her, their hands intertwined as Mike approached her and planted a gentle kiss on her forehead to which she replied with wrapping her arms around his torso and resting her head gently against his chest, his arms embracing her as well while he placed his head on top of hers. He paused the video and gave the couple before him a very stern look.

Julie's cheeks were stained red inferno, but not out of embarrassment, but of the poisonous anger that was currently rising in her. She glanced at Mike who still remained speechless and uncertain, but unlike the cause of her reddened cheeks you could easily tell his were out of flustered embarrassment. Her face painted with offense as she exasperatedly glanced at her father.

"You were spying on me?!" She retorted, standing abruptly from her chair.

Kane closed his eyes, despite the fact that his features made him appear irritated it also balanced the fact that he was trying to collect himself, something that surprised the former cadet sitting beside him, his eyebrow arching in thought. "Julie bear…" He called suggestively.

"No! Don't you Julie bear me! I'm not… I _won't_ let you destroy this for me! I'm not a child anymore and I'm tired of _you_ trying to control my every move! So I'm not even allowed to have privacy now?!" She cried hysterically.

"Julie…" He called again in a calmed tone.

"I can't even believe you had the _nerve_ to spy on me! I thought we agreed this would stop! How dare you?!"

"Julianna!"

She paused and took a shaky breath before she turned to face her father, her expression broken and her eyes glistening with fresh tears that threatened to spill, "Don't… Don't call me that…" she muttered in a trembling voice, her eyes suddenly darting to Mike's who stared back at hers with pure worry. Automatically he stood, he couldn't bare to see her like that.

Kane sighed and raised a dismissive hand towards Mike, "At ease commander…" he ordered very calmly yet sternly at the same time.

"Sir, with all due respect." Started Mike, catching his superior's full attention as he glanced at him, "I know that this wasn't suppose to happen, and I apologize for crossing my boundaries. But I love and respect your daughter very much, and I wouldn't do or let anything harm her… I'm very loyal to your orders sir, and knowing her has helped me value and understand them as well. I have never failed you or Julie with conducting my mission, I swore I wouldn't fail and till this day I still swear I won't fail," he paused and took a chance to glance at her, her eyes finally spilling as a tear trickled down her cheek and a heart warming smile spread across her red lips, "I love your daughter more than anything, I swear…" he broke eye contact with Julie and looked back at Kane, "And when you love something, you keep it safe with all your might. So now I understand why you want to protect her so much, and it's a privilege really… Sir you can trust me, you had my word and you can still do."

There was a brief silence between the three, only minor sniffles could be heard coming from Julie's subtle cry.

Kane's eyes were looking back directly at Mike's and he gave him a very determined nod, "I know Chilton. I know I can trust you with Julie. Which is why I don't have a problem with this…"

Mike let out a heavy breath and his lips curled up to a relieving smile, he glanced at Julie who was wiping the few tears that stained her face; she took a couple of steps towards her father and carefully replied, "Really?"

"I've known for at least two months now. I have to admit that I wasn't too fond about it at first, but then I thought… There's no one else I'd trust with my daughter, not in that manner at least. And of course my Julie's 17, I knew it was bound to happen sometime rather I liked it or not, and you've been very respectful with her Chilton, I appreciate that a lot. However, I wished you both wouldn't have waited this long to inform me." He crossed his arms and his serious stern glare returned as he eyed both teenagers disappointedly.

"I know sir, and again I apologize for that. We really wante-"

"It was my fault…" Julie cut Mike's explanation short, her gaze falling to the ground in shame. Both Mike and Kane giving her a look of surprise, Mike because he was caught off guard and Kane because he wasn't expecting her to be willing carrying the entire burden all by herself. She sighed and brought her sheepish gaze back to the two men in front of her, "I was afraid of how you might've reacted… You know… About us."

"Hiding things from me doesn't help your case young lady. You want me to trust you, you're asking for liberties but you go on and keep things from me, you sneak around and do things without my concern and you still expect me to react normally?" He let out a frustrated sigh, "Julie, I am over protective towards you and maybe I do get a little carried away sometimes… But I'm just trying to do what's best for you sweetheart, and you can't be too trusting of everyone these days. I keep your identity safe to protect you. I don't want you to become an easy target… Specially to those Burners…" His suddenly raged eyes looking away from the teenaged girl and closing for a brief second, he took a deep breath to compose himself and looked back at the couple.

"You're just lucky it's Chilton and not just some incompetent, desperate and untrusting stranger." Julie's eyes widened at her father's words, in a way she was glad that he somewhat accepted her relationship with Mike because that meant she had something less to stress about. But it suddenly hit her… Did he plan this? Was this something else that was once again under his control? It made sense! Mike was the perfect soldier and one of the few he trusted the most; his right hand and recently named commander something that made him admirable and respectful; a great image to the public… So much to the point of revealing her identity for "protection". She frowned at the thought and remembered why he was assigned to her in the first place, Kane didn't trust the few friends she had and he wouldn't let her spend time with them unless she was being "watched" over… Did he intentionally chose a "trusting" friend and companion for her because he didn't trust hers? Was this all fake and controlled like most of her life? Her eyes darted towards Mike and his gaze fell upon hers.

He looked at her, mesmerized by her beauty and a warm dazedly smile grew on his face. She smiled back, and the more she pondered the more she realized that regardless of her father's true intentions she couldn't doubt that what she had with Mike was anything but fake. The love she felt for him was something so strong that it even scared herself sometimes. Was it even possible to love someone with so much passion that you would even be willing to die for them? She blinked, a shudder ran through her spine at the thought. She truly did love him, more than anything she could admit, and she didn't doubt Mike's feelings either; he's also risked so much for her, including his job which is something she knows he loves doing. The look in his eyes wasn't obliged and the tenderness that he always delivered her was anything but commanded, it was all real and unique. And she preferred it that way, uncontrolled and hers, only hers.

A couple of minutes passed and the table was cleared, leaving the three to sit in an awkward silence that would soon die.

"Well Chilton, care to join me in my office for a couple of minutes? We still have some things to go through before you leave." Kane inquired in a low serious voice while he darted his eyes at Mike.

The young commander nodded, "Sure…" and with that Kane stood from his seat, Mike copying the action.

Julie glanced at both men in front of her, Mike looking back at her a little unsure of what to say to her; now that her father knew about them it kinda felt awkward for him to talk to her in his presence. Was he suppose to address her in the usual formal and respectful way that he's always been ordered to? Or was he finally free to talk to her like he always did behind closed doors? He didn't want to take advantage of the situation, regardless she was still his superior's daughter and still deserved such respect, not to mention that he was still very much loyal to his initial assignment, so he didn't want to sound unprofessional with neither of them.

He was nervous, but he wanted to break the ice; she was his girlfriend and her overprotective father was ok with that so maybe he was being a little paranoid over this whole situation. He walked up behind her still sitting form and placed a gentle hand on her shoulder, the touch catching her full attention as her head automatically turned to face him, "I uh… I guess I'll see you in a bit." he informed her in a respectful manner, though it wasn't that obvious but there was also a hint of long in his tone.

She smiled vibrantly, quickly grabbing his hand giving it a soft squeeze and nod before he proceeded towards the hallway, were a very amused Kane with crossed arms stood and waited for the newly commander to follow.

The footsteps echoed in the hallways, and when she was sure she heard the door close, she sat back and let out a heavy breath. It suddenly felt better that the truth was out, no more hiding and sneaking around, and most importantly no more lying to her father. She always had to make an excuse about her whereabouts whenever Mike wasn't on duty with her and coincidentally had leisure hours, poor Claire had to always cover for her whenever Kane went on looking for his sneaky teenaged daughter. There wasn't much for her to do at the moment, so she stood and decided to head towards her room while she waited for Mike and Kane's "important" conversation to end.

Kane's office was quite spacious for being inside of a house, one would only assume that it was just a regular sized room with a desk and a couple of chairs for any guests, but not for this superior's taste. He enjoyed everything comfortable, the more the better! It had a perfect view towards the city, although that was something difficult not to have since the entire building appeared to be made out of some form of super glass. There was a large desk almost up against the left side of the room with quite some space around it; Mike only assumed that it was for the large amount of holo-screens that were probably installed around it, after all and besides the large window, Kane needed to have a perfect view and status of his beloved city. Once you walk inside, there's a mini lounge area with furniture and a coffee table, a mini bar against the far right side of the room and a large glass shelf case that appeared to be floating in mid air from the way it was positioned and designed.

Kane walked up to the mini bar and poured himself a glass of some kind of amber colored liquor, Mike just stood and watched a little uncertain causing the leader to raise an eyebrow.

"Have a seat son, this might take a couple of minutes…"

Mike looked up, "Oh… right, thanks." walking up to the nearest couch he sat, his thoughtful eyes fixing themselves upon the view of the now glowing and serene city beside him.

"She's a true work of art, ain't she?" He spoke calmly as he walked towards Mike, but it wasn't until the former cadet heard the sound of glass thudding against the table that his attention fully turned towards the host. A glass was placed in the coffee table in front of him and this time he didn't felt like protesting, still he grabbed the cup and swiveled it with uncertainty before he took a lame sniff of it's content.

The dictator sat on an armchair across from Mike and took a very determined sip from the spirits in his cup, when he swallowed he let out a very relieving breath. He noticed Mike's sudden and uncertain curiosity, "Oh for God's sake Chilton, I won't tell if you won't tell… Besides it's just some dessert liquor, and it's not like you're on duty right now…"

It wasn't about people finding out, it was more of a moral, but this was his boss and the leader of the city he was currently defending so it suddenly didn't sound so harmful anymore. He gave him a convinced nod and smirk, lamely raised his glass to please the leader and took a small sip of the sweet yet burning liquor. Unlike Kane's relieving breath, his sounded more like a recovery one as the burning sensation was completely new to him, even a soft cough escaped his lips.

Kane chuckled, "Good stuff isn't it? This one's actually from before Deluxe time, back from when Detroit was still up and running, probably even before my time." he informed rather proudly, despite the sour topic that was the decaying times of Detroit.

Mike only replied with a simple "Yeah", for a polite agreement and a soft chuckle. He then cleared his throat before he took another small sip and this time it didn't burn as bad as the first so it was easier for him to appreciate the sweet nutty flavor.

There was a brief silence before Mike decided to break it, he shifted uncomfortably in his seat and swiveled his glass slowly in thought, "Sir, you know I meant every word I said back at dinner right? And this is me saying it to you personally, as a person who can assure you trust. Regardless, I won't let anything bad happen to Julie, I care way too much for her and I know we kind of hid it from you, and again I apologize for that, it was wrong."

Kane nodded and took a sip of his drink before he gave Mike a very stern look, "That's my little girl you have on your hands now Chilton, not just some random person. My daughter, I don't think I need to remind you how much she means to me and how far I'm willing to go for her. Meaning, if you do fail me _or_ her there will be great consequences, and this time I'm not saying it to you as leader to soldier… No Chilton, this time is father to boyfriend. For your own sake, I really do hope you don't let neither of us down." His serious tone causing Mike to suddenly feel a bit intimidated and guilty about keeping his and Julie's secret from him. The man he admired the most trusted him to such a high level and in exchange he let him down, though not in an over exaggerated form but still enough to make him feel as if he did something wrong.

The brunette nodded determinedly, his hands still swiveling the cup at the cause of his sudden anxiety, "I know… And I promise I'll do my best sir." he replied, his tone sincere while his eyes fixated themselves over his leader.

"You better Chilton, just don't keep anything else from me, neither of you, got it?" Mike nodded and Kane took his final sip before he stood and walked towards the mini bar to retrieve the bottle of liquor, "But changing the subject… There's some things I wish to discuss with you before you start your actual training as commander." he sat back on his chair and refilled his glass, placing the bottle on the coffee table.

"Chilton, I chose you as my commander because I trust you. I think we have that part very clear, we've discussed this many times before, plus your skills and dedication towards this city exceed my entire armada combined, you're a pure example of what those Star and Sabers your wearing mean. I know I made the right choice which is why I hope you can make the right choices as well…"

Mike placed his cup on the coffee table and stared intently at Kane as he waited for him to continue with what he had to say.

"You will be deployed down to Motorcity in about 3-4 weeks from today and you will be in complete charge of your squadron. This will be your first mission and opportunity in leadership Chilton, and there will be some tough decisions you'll be making, decisions that some people aren't gonna like..."

Mike furrowed his eyebrows while he acknowledge Kane's words, "What kind of tough decisions are we talking about?" he inquired with a bit of worry.

Kane stood and walked towards the large windows to enjoy the view of his city, "We're gonna be… You could say "enhancing" Motorcity in a way, and not many people are gonna like it Mike. I'm not gonna lie to you, people are going to fight back," he turned to face the former cadet, "they're going to try and interfere with our work. You see in the future everything will be for both the good of Deluxe and Motorcity, but motorcitizens don't see it that way. To their eyes, everything we try to do to help them is bad, they prefer to live surrounded by garbage and junk, with sickness and outdated while we live the opposite lifestyle, the better and healthier life. As KaneCo's founder it doesn't matter that they choose to live that way, regardless we will always try and provide. It'll start small, but they'll eventually open they're eyes and realize that there is a better choice for a living."

Mike nodded in agreement, his eyes serious as they stared back at his leader's, "I understand."

"Things are gonna get even tougher if those Burners get involved Chilton… And that's where your squadron and my concern comes in. Mike, the Burners are Deluxe's most wanted criminals, and if they find out about this they won't hesitate to fight you and your men. I know your abilities Chilton, and I need you to fight back no matter what, this group have won us over many times and I've lost a lot of my men because of them. I can't let that happen again. Out of all my men Chilton, I'm relying on you to bring those Burners down once and for all, because it's thanks to them that we haven't been able to proceed with many of our projects down in Motorcity. Those selfish bastards just want to take over KaneCo, and transform our good into dangerous and polluted while all we're trying to do is bring good Mike, a better good for the people."

Mike stood, giving Kane a very determined look. Of course he's heard of the Burner's before, everyone in Deluxe knew how cruel and harmful those "rebels" were, and he couldn't help but to suddenly feel hate towards them and their selfish choices. "Sir, we _will_ try our best. I'll make sure my division starts with the proper training first thing tomorrow morning. I want my team to be prepared both physically and mentally, we _won't_ fail! _I won't_ let you down sir!"

The leader stood as well with a sudden frown on his face, "I don't want you to_ try_ Chilton, I want you to succeed! I want you to confirm that I made the right choice! I want to know that the situation is being handled! Do you have what it takes?" his tone threatening.

The commander stared back and remained quiet for a couple of seconds before he gave a firm nod, his eyes portraying seriousness. "I do, and I _will_ bring the Burners down!"

Kane smirked, "Good… Your orders will appear on system first thing in the morning. From there you will be assigned to your Ultra Elite squadron, and I expect smooth sailings from there on."

"I won't let you down sir."

"I know you won't." Replied the dictator with much determination. Walking towards the commander and shaking his hand in a "deal ending" manner.

"Also sir, thanks again for inviting me over tonight... It really means a lot to me. I don't know if you know, but I don't really have anyone... Family to be precise." He slightly lowered his gaze, even though the words were pretty clear; ironically the subject always made him feel a little uncomfortable. After all it wasn't his favorite topic.

Kane remained quiet and he delivered the young commander a pitied look while he extended his arm towards Mike's shoulder, causing his gaze to meet with his, "You're welcome, and you'll always be welcomed in our home son..." a sympathetic smile spread across his face.

Mike smiled back and nodded, "Thank you..." he expressed before a sudden awkward silence lingered around them.

"You may go Chilton, I still have a couple of things to work on here..." Kane sighed, "Plus I assume Julie must be thinking that I'm giving you a hard time right now..." he chuckled, "I tell you that girl..." he trailed off.

He chuckled as well, "Thanks, and goodnight sir." he started to walk towards the door while Kane walked towards his desk.

"Oh and Chilton..." Called Kane, causing the teenaged commander to pause his pace and turn towards his superior with a questioning look on his face. "Behave!" He informed with a serious tone.

Mike's cheeks burned for a slight second while he acknowledged the comment. He only nodded to reassure the leader before he walked out of the office.

* * *

**Ok first off I want to apologize for taking so much with this chapter, I've had at least half of it written for months now but I have to admit that I had a little trouble with it, just because there was so many ways I could've gone with the chapter and I just couldn't decide! In fact it was meant to be longer but decided to stop where I did for the moment, because IT IS a very long chapter as we speak. I hope I did justice with what I wanted to portray which was not only Mike and Julie's relationship but Julie and Kane's as well (Actually the chemistry between the three of them as...father/daughter/boyfriend/boss/professional). **

**Another thing I plan to do is a short side story on how Mike and Julie met and how they're relationship actually began, there's so much more to them than what you're reading here. It was originally planned to be included in this one but to be honest I don't want it to get side tracked with too many flashbacks even though there are some flashbacks coming your way. Anyways I hope you guys enjoyed, and I apologize if some parts seem a little filler-ish... I just recovered from a mini writer's block, plus I've been SUPER busy at work that I've barely had time for myself lately... -_-**

**As always please review if you read! Those are ALWAYS welcomed and appreciated as they serve as motivation as well! :)**


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